{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-57-57-510","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 57, § 57-510","heading":"Penal institutions — Director's specific powers and","body":"duties.\n\nA. The Director of the Department of Corrections shall have the\n\nfollowing specific powers and duties relating to the penal\n\ninstitutions:\n\n1. To appoint, subject to the approval of the State Board of\n\nCorrections, a warden for each penal institution;\n\n2. To fix the duties of the wardens and to appoint and fix the\n\nduties and compensation of such other personnel for each penal\n\ninstitution as may be necessary for the proper operation thereof.\n\nHowever, correctional officers hired after November 1, 1995, shall\n\nbe subject to the following qualifications:\n\na. the minimum age for service shall be twenty (20) years\n\nof age. The Director shall have the authority to\n\nestablish the maximum age for correctional officers\n\nentering service,\n\nb. possession of a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours\n\nfrom an accredited college or university, or\n\npossession of a high school diploma acquired from an\n\naccredited high school or GED equivalent testing\n\nprogram,\n\nc. satisfactory completion of minimum testing or\n\nprofessional evaluation through the Merit System of\n\nPersonnel Administration to determine the fitness of\n\nthe individual to serve in the position. All written\n\nevaluations shall be submitted to the Department of\n\nCorrections, and\n\nd. satisfactory completion of a physical in keeping with\n\nthe conditions of the job description on an annual\n\nbasis and along the guidelines as established by the\n\nDepartment of Corrections;\n\n3. The Director shall designate as correctional peace officers,\n\ncorrectional officers who are employed in job classifications of\n\ncorrectional security officer, correctional security manager,\n\ncorrectional chief of security and chief of security upon\n\nsatisfactory completion of a basic course of instruction for\n\ncorrectional officers, as provided for in paragraph 4 of this\n\nsubsection. The peace officer authority of employees designated as\n\ncorrectional peace officers shall be limited to: maintaining\n\ncustody of prisoners; preventing attempted escapes; pursuing,\n\nrecapturing and incarcerating escapees and parole or probation\n\nviolators and arresting such escapees, parole or probation\n\nviolators; serving warrants; carrying firearms; preventing\n\ncontraband from entering any penal institution; arresting\n\nindividuals who commit crimes at any penal institution; and\n\nperforming any duties specifically required for the job\n\ndescriptions. Such powers and duties of correctional peace officers\n\nmay be exercised for the purpose of maintaining custody, security,\n\nand control of any prisoner being transported inside and outside\n\nthis state as authorized by the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act and\n\nthe Interstate Corrections Compact. The Director may implement\n\npolicies that place additional limitations on the authority of\n\ncorrectional peace officers. The Director shall issue an\n\nidentification card to each correctional peace officer that\n\nidentifies the person as a correctional peace officer and grants the\n\nperson the authority to carry a firearm and make arrests pursuant to\n\nthis paragraph. Should a correctional peace officer terminate\n\nemployment for any reason, fail to remain qualified as a\n\ncorrectional peace officer or for reasons stated in policies of the\n\nDepartment, the correctional peace officer shall return the\n\nidentification card to the supervisor of the correctional peace\n\nofficer immediately;\n\n4. To develop and implement, upon approval of the State Board\n\nof Corrections, a basic course of instruction for correctional\n\nofficers that consists of a training academy that provides not less\n\nthan two hundred (200) hours of core curriculum instruction and a\n\nfirearms training program that provides not less than twenty (20)\n\nhours of instruction. The basic course of instruction shall be\n\nsubject to the following:\n\na. the minimum qualifying score that must be shot to pass\na basic course of instruction for correctional\n\nofficers that consists of a training academy that provides not less\n\nthan two hundred (200) hours of core curriculum instruction and a\n\nfirearms training program that provides not less than twenty (20)\n\nhours of instruction. The basic course of instruction shall be\n\nsubject to the following:\n\na. the minimum qualifying score that must be shot to pass\n\nthe firearms training program shall be equal to the\n\nminimum qualifying score required by the Council on\n\nLaw Enforcement Education and Training for peace\n\nofficers, and\n\nb. the Director may waive any number of hours or courses\n\nrequired to complete the basic course of instruction\n\nfor any person who, in the opinion of the Director,\n\nhas received sufficient training or experience that\n\nsuch hours of instruction would be unduly burdensome\n\nor duplicative; however, completion of the firearms\n\ntraining program shall not be waived;\n\n5. To develop and implement annual in-service training for\n\ncorrectional officers that consists of at least forty (40) hours of\n\ncontinued corrections education and annual recertification of\n\nfirearms proficiency. The minimum qualifying score that must be\n\nshot to requalify for recertification of firearms proficiency shall\n\nbe equal to the minimum qualifying score required by the Council on\n\nLaw Enforcement Education and Training for the requalification of\n\npeace officers;\n\n6. To require any person employed as a correctional security\n\nofficer, correctional security manager, correctional chief of\n\nsecurity, and chief of security to remain qualified as a\n\ncorrectional peace officer. Any correctional peace officer who is\n\nunable to remain qualified as a correctional peace officer may be\n\noffered an available position within the Department in the same or\n\nlesser pay grade for which the employee is eligible, or the employee\n\nmay be terminated. When an employee who is commissioned as a\n\ncorrectional peace officer by the Department voluntarily moves into\n\na position which does not require correctional peace officer status,\n\nthe Director may allow the employee to maintain his or her\n\ncorrectional peace officer status;\n\n7. To authorize other employees of the Department to carry\n\nfirearms anywhere in the state to use for self-defense pursuant to\n\nand consistent with policies developed by the Department upon\n\nsatisfactory completion of the firearms training program provided\n\nfor in paragraph 4 of this subsection. The Director shall issue an\n\nidentification card to each authorized employee that grants the\n\nemployee the authority to carry a firearm pursuant to the provisions\n\nof this paragraph. Should an authorized employee terminate\n\nemployment for any reason, fail to remain qualified to carry a\n\nfirearm, or for reasons stated in the policies of the Department,\n\nthe authorized employee shall immediately return the identification\n\ncard to the supervisor of the employee and shall no longer be\n\nauthorized to carry firearms under the authority of this paragraph;\n\n8. To maintain such industries, factories, plants, shops,\n\nfarms, and other enterprises and operations, hereinafter referred to\n\nas prison industries, at each penal institution as the State Board\n\nof Corrections deems necessary or appropriate to employ the\n\nprisoners or teach skills, or to sustain the penal institution; and\n\nas provided for by policies established by the State Board of\n\nCorrections, to allow compensation for the work of the prisoners,\n\nand to provide for apportionment of inmate wages, the amounts thus\n\nallowed to be kept in accounts by the Board for the prisoners and\n\ngiven to the inmates upon discharge from the penal institution, or,\n\nupon an order, paid to their families or dependents or used for the\n\npersonal needs of the prisoners. Any industry that employs\n\nprisoners shall be deemed a \"State Prison Industry\" if the prisoners\nnd to provide for apportionment of inmate wages, the amounts thus\n\nallowed to be kept in accounts by the Board for the prisoners and\n\ngiven to the inmates upon discharge from the penal institution, or,\n\nupon an order, paid to their families or dependents or used for the\n\npersonal needs of the prisoners. Any industry that employs\n\nprisoners shall be deemed a \"State Prison Industry\" if the prisoners\n\nare paid from state funds including the proceeds of goods sold as\n\nauthorized by Section 123f of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes.\n\nAny industry in which wages of prisoners are paid by a\n\nnongovernmental person, group, or corporation, except those\n\nindustries employing prisoners in work-release centers under the\n\nauthority of the Department of Corrections, shall be deemed a\n\n\"Private Prison Industry\";\n\n9. To assign residences at each penal institution to penal\n\ninstitutional personnel and their families;\n\n10. To provide for the education, training, vocational\n\neducation, rehabilitation, and recreation of prisoners;\n\n11. To regulate the operation of canteens for prisoners;\n\n12. To prescribe rules for the conduct, management, and\n\noperation of each penal institution including rules for the demeanor\n\nof prisoners, the punishment of recalcitrant prisoners, the\n\ntreatment of incorrigible prisoners, and the disposal of property or\n\ncontraband seized from inmates or offenders under the supervision of\n\nthe Department;\n\n13. To transfer prisoners from one penal institution to\n\nanother;\n\n14. To establish procedures that ensure inmates are educated\n\nand provided with the opportunity to execute advance directives for\n\nhealth care in compliance with Section 3101.2 of Title 63 of the\n\nOklahoma Statutes. The procedures shall ensure that any inmate\n\nexecuting an advance directive for health care is competent and\n\nexecutes the directive with informed consent;\n\n15. To maintain courses of training and instruction for\n\nemployees of the Department;\n\n16. To maintain a program of research and statistics;\n\n17. To provide for the periodic audit, at least once annually,\n\nof all funds and accounts of each penal institution and the funds of\n\neach prisoner;\n\n18. To provide, subject to rules established by the State Board\n\nof Corrections, for the utilization of inmate labor for any agency\n\nof the state, city, town, or subdivision of this state, upon the\n\nduly authorized request for such labor by the agency. The inmate\n\nlabor shall not be used to reduce employees or replace regular\n\nmaintenance or operations of the agency. The inmate labor shall be\n\nused solely for public or state purposes. No inmate labor shall be\n\nused for private use or purpose. Insofar as it is practicable, all\n\ninmate labor shall be of such a nature and designed to assist and\n\naid in the rehabilitation of inmates performing the labor;\n\n19. To provide clerical services for, and keep and preserve the\n\nfiles and records of, the Pardon and Parole Board; make\n\ninvestigations and inquiries as to prisoners at the penal\n\ninstitutions who are to be, or who might be, considered for parole\n\nor other clemency; assist prisoners who are to be, or who might be,\n\nconsidered for parole or discharge in obtaining suitable employment\n\nin the event of parole or discharge; report to the Pardon and Parole\n\nBoard, for recommendation to the Governor, violations of terms and\n\nconditions of paroles; upon request of the Governor, make\n\ninvestigations and inquiries as to persons who are to be, or who\n\nmight be, considered for reprieves or leaves of absence; report to\n\nthe Pardon and Parole Board, for recommendation to the Governor,\n\nwhether a parolee is entitled to a pardon, when the terms and\n\nconditions of the parole have been completed; make presentence\n\ninvestigations for, and make reports thereof to, trial judges in\n\ncriminal cases consistent with other laws of the state; supervise\n\npersons on felony probation or parole; and develop and operate,\nreport to\n\nthe Pardon and Parole Board, for recommendation to the Governor,\n\nwhether a parolee is entitled to a pardon, when the terms and\n\nconditions of the parole have been completed; make presentence\n\ninvestigations for, and make reports thereof to, trial judges in\n\ncriminal cases consistent with other laws of the state; supervise\n\npersons on felony probation or parole; and develop and operate,\n\nsubject to the policies and guidelines of the Board, work-release\n\ncenters, community treatment facilities or prerelease programs at\n\nappropriate sites throughout this state;\n\n20. To establish an employee tuition assistance program and\n\npromulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedures\n\nAct for the operation of the program. The rules shall include, but\n\nnot be limited to, program purposes, eligibility requirements, use\n\nof tuition assistance, service commitment to the Department,\n\nreimbursement of tuition assistance funds for failure to complete\n\ncourse work or service commitment, amounts of tuition assistance and\n\nlimitations, and record keeping;\n\n21. To establish an employee recruitment and referral incentive\n\nprogram and promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative\n\nProcedures Act for the operation of the program. The rules shall\n\ninclude, but not be limited to, program purposes, pay incentives for\n\nemployees, eligibility requirements, payment conditions and amounts,\n\npayment methods, and record keeping;\n\n22. To provide reintegration referral services to any person\n\ndischarged from the state custody who has volunteered to receive\n\nreintegration referral services. The Director may assign staff to\n\nrefer persons discharged from state custody to services. The\n\nDirector shall promulgate rules for the referral process. All\n\nreintegration referral services shall be subject to the availability\n\nof funds;\n\n23. To conduct continual planning and research and periodically\n\nevaluate the effectiveness of the various correctional programs\n\ninstituted by the Department; manage the designing, building, and\n\nmaintaining of all the capital improvements of the Department;\n\nestablish and maintain current and efficient business, bookkeeping,\n\nand accounting practices and procedures for the operations of all\n\npenal institutions and facilities, and for the Department's fiscal\n\naffairs; conduct initial orientation and continuing in-service\n\ntraining for the Department employees; provide public information\n\nservices; inspect and examine the condition and management of state\n\npenal and correctional institutions; investigate complaints\n\nconcerning the management of prisons or alleged mistreatment of\n\ninmates thereof; and hear and investigate complaints as to\n\nmisfeasance or nonfeasance of employees of the Department;\n\n24. To authorize any division of the Department to sell\n\nadvertising in any Department-approved publication, media production\n\nor other informational material produced by the Department;\n\nprovided, that such advertising shall be approved by the Director or\n\ndesignee prior to acceptance for publication. The sale of\n\nadvertising and negotiation of rates for the advertising shall not\n\nbe subject to The Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act or the\n\nAdministrative Procedures Act. The Department shall promulgate\n\nrules establishing criteria for accepting or using advertisements as\n\nauthorized in this paragraph;\n\n25. To issue subpoenas to assist or further investigations into\n\nallegations of crimes committed in public or private prisons within\n\nthis state. Subpoenas issued by the Director shall be enforced by\n\nthe District Court in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma;\n\n26. To authorize award of the badge of an employee who dies\n\nwhile employed by the Department to the spouse or next of kin of the\n\ndeceased employee;\n\n27. To establish, in conjunction with the Information Services\nin\n\nthis state. Subpoenas issued by the Director shall be enforced by\n\nthe District Court in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma;\n\n26. To authorize award of the badge of an employee who dies\n\nwhile employed by the Department to the spouse or next of kin of the\n\ndeceased employee;\n\n27. To establish, in conjunction with the Information Services\n\nDivision of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, an\n\nemergency alert notification system for the public, capable of\n\ndistributing notifications of facility emergencies or prisoner\n\nescapes for all facilities and each facility of the Department of\n\nCorrections;\n\n28. To declare an emergency when, due to shortage of staff,\n\ncorrectional officers at a facility are required to work more than\n\ntwo double shifts in a seven-day period. As used in this paragraph,\n\n\"double shift\" means two eight-hour shifts in a twenty-four-hour\n\nperiod; and\n\n29. To enter into contracts with media or film production\n\ncompanies to allow the Department to authorize a media or film\n\nproduction company to shoot commercial films at penal institutions\n\nand other property under the control of the Department. Any funds\n\nreceived pursuant to said contracts shall be deposited into the\n\nDepartment of Corrections Revolving Fund.\n\nB. When an employee of the Department of Corrections has been\n\ncharged with a violation of the rules of the Department or with a\n\nfelony pursuant to the provisions of a state or federal statute, the\n\nDirector may, in the Director's discretion, suspend the charged\n\nemployee, in accordance with the Oklahoma Personnel Act and/or the\n\nMerit System of Personnel Administration Rules, pending the hearing\n\nand final determination of the charges. Notice of suspension shall\n\nbe given by the Director, in accordance with the provisions of the\n\nOklahoma Personnel Act. If after completion of the investigation of\n\nthe charges, it is determined that such charges are without merit or\n\nare not sustained before the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission or\n\nin a court of law, the employee shall be reinstated and shall be\n\nentitled to receive all lost pay and benefits.\n\nThis subsection shall in no way deprive an employee of the right\n\nof appeal according to the Oklahoma Personnel Act.","path":["OK Code","Title 57"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os57.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"0db028c9fd8db38832386b41b5278d4ad9238bc9d3081e06883e4df0f5dfe798","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-57-57-51.1","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-57-57-510.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}